[miningmx.com] — The DRC government says it is lifting a six-month ban on mining in conflict-plagued east Congo amid condemnation by critics who say the embargo has fuelled looting of minerals by armed groups instead of stopping it.
Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu at a news conference Thursday hailed “a new era in the mining sector,” indicating the government is claiming the ban was effective.
A human rights group, however, has asked the government to re-institute the ban, saying the situation is worse after civilians were left without incomes but soldiers, police and rebel groups continued mining.
President Joseph Kabila announced the ban on mining and trade in minerals in September, saying he wanted to stop the conflict fueled by the region’s abundance of minerals from gold and coltan to copper and diamonds.
